Key holder



Oct; 14, '1958 c; S. MARIEN 2,855,775

KEY HOLDER Filed Nov. 15,1956

INVENTOR. (lame/2f $.Mar1e/z ATTORNEYS.-

United States Patent 2,855,775 KEY HOLDER Clenienf'SzMarien; AttleborofRi IL, assignor to Swank, Inc a corporation of Delaware Application November 13, 1956, Serial No. 621,888

2 Claims. .c1.:'70- 4s9) This invention relates to a key holder.

Key holders may be of varying types. The type with which this invention is .concerned has a loop which is rigid so far as its functioning in the invention is concerned with the ends of the loop spaced so as to provide for access 'of the key in positioning it on the loop. The handle of the key is provided with a hole through which the loop may be passed to mount the key on the loop. In order that the key will not be accidentally disengaged from the loop,

some closure is then provided for the space between the ends of the loop, and it is this closure member to which this invention is directed. Various forms of closures have been heretofore provided.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a closure which will be of simple construction and thus inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure which may be so manipulated that it may be easily slid to and from closing position.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a member which will be of thin construction so that it will lie flat in the pocket and conform itself readily in the pocket of the user to the space available for it.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation showing the key holder in closed position with a key mounted on the loop;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on substantially line 2-2 of Figure l with the loop broken away;

Figure 3 is a perspective view' showing the body of the closure member in partly folded up position;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on substantially line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the tongue; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the abutment for the spring.

In proceeding with this invention, I utilize a loop of ring shape with spaced ends and mount a closure member on this loop by folding up from sheet stock the body of the closure so that the loop may slide through the body and then provide a tongue within the body to extend between the ends of the loop to block the body from sliding along the loop, the .body being of suflicient width so that the loop is closed when the tongue is between the ends of the loop. For opening the loop, the tongue is withdrawn from the space between the ends by some sort of manual manipulation and then the body may be slid along the loop so that the keys may be threaded into or removed from the loop.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates the loop which will be of rigid construction with the ends 11 and 12 spaced as shown in Figure 4. A key 13 havinga handle portion 14 is provided with a hole 15 and the wire part of the loop 10 may be threaded through this hole to mount Patented Oct. 14, 1958 "ice able shapeand then bent tofprovide thebodyi The-body will have a front wall 18 and aback wall 19 with flanges 20 and'21 extending'from thefront wall 18 and flanges 22 and 23 extending from the' back wall19. .Thewalls 18 and 19 are folded upTf-rom a flat sheet of stock'along an arcuate bite" portion24, andthe flangesxareso'shaped atone of their ends as to providea generally circular opening 25 of a size to receive and slide along the loop 10. The flanges 20, 22 and 21, 23 will abut in edge to edge relation throughout their length to provide a body which is hollow as at 26 within. In order to hold the body with the flanges abutting as shown in Figure 2, ears 27, 28 are provided on the wall 19 set inwardly from the flanges 22 and 23 with abutment portions 29 and 30 joining the ears to the flanges, while the back wall 19 is curved over these ears as at 31. The flanges 20 and 21 are provided with tabs 32 and 33 while the front wall is curved over these tabs. The tabs project in such a manner as to overlap the ears 27, 28. Registering openings 34 are provided in the ears 27, 28 and 35 with tabs 32 and 33 receiving a ring 36 which serves as a lock to hold the body in assembled relation with the edges of the flanges abutting and also as a means for suspending the body from some flexible element such as 37, itself having a ring 38 passing through the ring In this manner, a hollow body isprovided as previously mentioned.

The front wall 18 of this body is provided with an open ing 40, and within the hollow body -I provide a tongue, designated generally 41 and shown in perspective in Figure 6, which has a portion 42 of a width and length to extend between the ends 11 and 12 of the ring 10. This tongue is slotted as at 43 to receive the front wall 18 from the edge 44 thereof downwardly and be guided in its movement by the walls of this slot sliding along the lower marginal edge 44 of the front wall. The portion 45 of the tongue is of substantial extent and serves as a finger piece. It is of the length to cover opening 40 and slide along the front wall both below edge 44 and above the edge 46 of the opening 40, while the outer face of this finger portion 45 is knurled as at 47 so that it may be engaged by the finger for sliding it upwardly to withdrawing its portion 42 from between the ends 11 and 12 of the ring.

A spring 48 encircles a projection 49 on the tongue by which the spring is guided, and this spring also engages a projection 50 on an abutment 51 which is placed against shoulders 29 and 30, as seen clearly in Figure 4, serving as a rest for one end of the spring. By this arrangement,

the tongue is urged downwardly at all times but may be manually moved upwardly by engaging the knurled finger portion 47 and sliding it upwardly for the purpose of withdrawing it from between the ends 11 and 12 of the ring and permitting the body to be slid around the ring into a position to permit keys to be threaded onto the ring.

I claim:

1. A key holder comprising a rigid loop having a space between its ends and of a size to be passed through the hole in the handle of a key, a closure for said space comprising a hollow body slidably mounted on said loop and of a width greater than said space, and an opening in one wall thereof, a tongue in said body with a finger piece extending through said opening and having a slot to receive said wall and slidably mount the tongue on said wall, said tongue having a portion of a width less than said space to extend therein, a spring acting between said body and tongue to urge the tongue in one direction into said space, said finger piece being in a position to be engaged for moving the tongue from the said space between the ends whereby slid- 3 ing of the closure along said loop is permitted to open the space for positioning keys on the loop.

2. A key holder comprising a rigid loop having a space between its ends and of a size to be passed through the hole in the handle of a key, a closure for said space comprising a piece of sheet stock folded upon itself about said loop into generally U shape providing a body with front and back Walls, flanges on said walls closing the space between them, ears extending at right angles from each of said Walls at the ends of the walls distant from the fold, said ears overlapping and having registering openings therein, a suspending ring extending through said openings to hold the body walls assembled, a tongue slidably guided by one of the walls of said body and of a width less than 4 said loop space extending therein and a finger piece projecting through one of said walls for withdrawing said tongue from said space to slide the body along said loop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 276,826 Jopson May 1, 1883 1,626,987 Venegas May 3, 1927 10 2,224,073 Augenstein Dec. 3, 1940 2,307,808 Segal Jan. 12, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 344,178 Great Britain Mar. 5, 1931 

